(Vatican Radio) Hungary's top court has thrown out a controversial electoral law that
critics said favoured the ruling party, Fidesz. The Constitutional Court ruled against
a requirement that voters register no later than 15 days before election day.
In
a statement, the Court said the legislation would “unjustifiable limit voting rights
for Hungarians living in Hungary by requiring all voters to register.”
It
came as a setback for the centre right Fidesz party of Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor
Orbán, which dominates parliament.
The head of the ruling Fidesz parliamentary
group, Antal Rogán, told reporters that the latest court ruling will have major implications.
"After consultations with the prime minister and the Fidesz leadership it was decided
that the new voter registration system would not be introduced for the 2014 general
election," he said.
OPPOSITION VICTORY
It came as a victory
for former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, who led protests and even a hunger strike
against the election bill.
He told Vatican Radio that many people would
have been unable to cast ballots because of a requirement to register no later than
15 days before the elections.
"Twenty five percent of the people decide to
attend the election and to vote for any party just in the last couple of days, in
the last one or two weeks," he explained.
The Constitutional Court also objected
to restricting political ads to publicly run media, calling it a "grave violation
of freedom of speech."
Additionally, it overruled plans to prevent cinemas
of screening political ads during the campaign, and to ban the publication of any
election-related opinion polls in the six days prior to voting day.
EU PRESSURE
Last
year, Orbán's government was also forced to change laws after the European Union said
they threatened democratic standards.
The European Commission - the EU's
executive, has challenged the government's perceived attempts to limit the independence
of the media, the central bank, the judiciary and even churches.
Prime
Minister Orbán has accused the European Union of interfering in Hungary's domestic
affairs.
He says the measures are necessary to overcome the legacy of previous
Communist rule.